Related provisions for COBS 4.10.9
1This table belongs to COBS 2.3.14 G.
Reasonable non-monetary benefits |
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Gifts, Hospitality and Promotional Competition Prizes |
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1 |
A retail investment product provider5 giving and a firm receiving gifts, hospitality and promotional competition prizes of a reasonable value. 5 |
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Promotion |
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2 |
A retail investment product provider5 assisting another firm to promote its retail investment products5 so that the quality of its service to clients is enhanced. Such assistance should not be of a kind or value that is likely to impair the recipient firm's ability to pay due regard to the interests of its clients, and to give advice on, and recommend, retail investment products5 available from the recipient firm's whole range or ranges. 555 |
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Joint marketing exercises |
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3 |
A retail investment product provider5 providing generic product literature (that is, letter heading, leaflets, forms and envelopes) that is suitable for use and distribution by or on behalf of another firm if: 5 |
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(a) |
the literature enhances the quality of the service to the client and is not primarily of promotional benefit to the retail investment product provider;5 and 5 |
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(b) |
the total costs (for example, packaging, posting, mailing lists) of distributing such literature to its client are borne by the recipient firm. |
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4 |
A retail investment product provider5 supplying another firm with 'freepost' envelopes, for forwarding such items as completed applications, medical reports or copy client agreements. 5 |
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5 |
A retail investment product provider5 supplying product specific literature (for example, key features documents, minimum information) to another firm if: 5 |
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(a) |
the literature does not contain the name of any other firm; or |
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(b) |
if the name of the recipient firm is included, the literature enhances the quality of the service to the client and is not primarily of promotional benefit to the recipient firm. |
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6 |
A retail investment product provider5 supplying draft articles, news items and financial promotions for publication in another firm's magazine, only if in each case any costs paid by the product provider for placing the articles and financial promotions are not more than market rate, and exclude distribution costs. 5 |
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Seminars and conferences |
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7 |
A retail investment product provider5 taking part in a seminar organised by another firm or a third party and paying toward the cost of the seminar, if: 5 |
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(a) |
its participation is for a genuine business purpose; and |
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(b) |
the contribution is reasonable and proportionate to its participation and by reference to the time and sessions at the seminar when its staff play an active role. |
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Technical services and information technology |
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8 |
A retail investment product provider5 supplying a 'freephone' link to which it is connected. 5 |
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9 |
A retail investment product provider5 supplying another firm with any of the following: 5 |
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(a) |
quotations and projections relating to its retail investment products5 and, in relation to specific investment transactions (or for the purpose of any scheme for review of past business), advice on the completion of forms or other documents; 5 |
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(b) |
access to data processing facilities, or access to data, that is related to the retail investment product provider’s5 business; 5 |
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(c) |
access to third party electronic dealing or quotation systems that are related to the retail investment product provider's5 business; and 5 |
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(d) |
software that gives information about the retail investment product provider's retail investment products5 or which is appropriate to its business (for example, for use in a scheme for review of past business or for producing projections or technical product information). 5 |
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10 |
A retail investment product provider5 paying cash amounts or giving other assistance to a firm not in the same immediate group for the development of software or other computer facilities necessary to operate software supplied by the retail investment product provider,5 but only to the extent that by doing so it will generate equivalent cost savings to itself or clients. 55 |
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11 |
A retail investment product provider5 supplying another firm with information about sources of mortgage finance. 5 |
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12 |
A retail investment product provider5 supplying another firm with generic technical information in writing, not necessarily related to the product provider's business, when this information states clearly and prominently that it is produced by the product provider or (if different) supplying firm. 5 |
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Training |
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13 |
A retail investment product provider5 providing another firm with training facilities of any kind (for example, lectures, venue, written material and software). 5 |
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Travel and accommodation expenses |
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14 |
A retail investment product provider5 reimbursing another firm's reasonable travel and accommodation expenses when the other firm: 5 |
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(a) |
participates in market research conducted by or for the retail investment product provider;5 5 |
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(b) |
attends an annual national event of a United Kingdom trade association, hosted or co-hosted by the retail investment product provider;5 5 |
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(c) |
participates in the retail investment product provider’s5 training facilities (see 13); 5 |
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(d) |
visits the retail investment product provider’s5United Kingdom office in order to: 5 |
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(i) |
receive information about the retail investment product provider's5 administrative systems; or 5 |
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(ii) |
attend a meeting with the retail investment product provider5 and an existing or prospective client of the receiving firm. 5 |
- (1)
3The restriction in COBS 4.12.3 R does not apply if the promotion falls within an exemption in the table in (5) below.
- (2)
A firm may communicate an invitation or inducement to participate in an unregulated collective investment scheme without breaching the restriction on promotion in section 238 of the Act if the promotion falls within an exemption in the table in (5) below.
- (3)
Where the middle column in the table in (5) refers to promotion to a category of person, this means that the invitation or inducement:
- (a)
is made only to recipients who the firm has taken reasonable steps to establish are persons in that category; or
- (b)
is directed at recipients in a way that may reasonably be regarded as designed to reduce, so far as possible, the risk of participation in, acquisition or underwriting of the non-mainstream pooled investment by persons who are not in that category.
- (a)
- (4)
A firm may rely on more than one exemption in relation to the same invitation or inducement.
- (5)
Title of Exemption
Promotion to:
Promotion of a non-mainstream pooled investment which is:
1. Replacement products and rights issues
A person who already participates in, owns, holds rights to or interests in, a non-mainstream pooled investment that is being liquidated or wound down or which is undergoing a rights issue. [See Note 1.]
1. A non-mainstream pooled investment which is intended by the operator or manager to absorb or take over the assets of that non-mainstream pooled investment, or which is being offered by the operator or manager of that non-mainstream pooled investment as an alternative to cash on its liquidation;
or
2. Securities offered by the existing non-mainstream pooled investment as part of a rights issue.
2. Certified high net worth investors
An individual6 who meets the requirements set out in COBS 4.12.6 R, or a person (or persons) legally empowered to make investment decisions on behalf of such individual6.
Any non-mainstream pooled investment the firm considers is likely to be suitable for that individual6, based on a preliminary assessment of the client's profile and objectives.
[See COBS 4.12.5G (2).]
3. Enterprise and charitable funds
A person who is eligible to participate or invest in an arrangement constituted under:
(1) the Church Funds Investment Measure 1958;
(2) section 96 5or 100 of the Charities Act 2011;
(3) section 25 of the Charities Act (Northern Ireland) 1964;
(4) the Regulation on European Venture Capital Funds (‘EuVECAs’); or
(5) the Regulation on European Social Entrepreneurship Funds (‘EuSEFs’).
Any non-mainstream pooled investment which is such an arrangement.
4. Eligible employees
An eligible employee, that is, a person who is:
(1) an officer;
(2) an employee;
(3) a former officer or employee; or
(4) a member of the immediate family of any of (1) - (3), of an employer which is (or is in the same group as) the firm, or which has accepted responsibility for the activities of the firm in carrying out the designated investment business in question.
1. A non-mainstream pooled investment, the instrument constituting which:
A. restricts the property of the non-mainstream pooled investment, apart from cash and near cash, to:
(1) (where the employer is a company) shares in and debentures of the company or any other connected company; [See Note 2.]
(2) (in any case), any property, provided that the non-mainstream pooled investment takes the form of:
(i) a limited partnership, under the terms of which the employer (or connected company) will be the unlimited partner and the eligible employees will be some or all of the limited partners; or
(ii) a trust which the firm reasonably believes not to contain any risk that any eligible employee may be liable to make any further payments (other than charges) for investment transactions earlier entered into, which the eligible employee was not aware of at the time he entered into them; and
B. (in a case falling within A(1) above) restricts participation in the non-mainstream pooled investment to eligible employees, the employer and any connected company.
2. Any non-mainstream pooled investment, provided that the participation of eligible employees is to facilitate their co-investment:
(i) with one or more companies in the same group as their employer (which may include the employer); or
5. Members of the Society of Lloyd’s
A person admitted to membership of the Society of Lloyd's or any person by law entitled or bound to administer his affairs.
A scheme in the form of a limited partnership which is established for the sole purpose of underwriting insurance business at Lloyd's.
6. Exempt persons
An exempt person (other than a person exempted only by section 39 of the Act (Exemption of appointed representatives)) if the financial promotion relates to a regulated activity in respect of which the person is exempt from the general prohibition.
7. Non-retail clients
An eligible counterparty or a professional client.
Any non-mainstream pooled investment in relation to which the client is categorised as a professional client or eligible counterparty.
[See Note 4.]
8. Certified sophisticated investors
An individual6 who meets the requirements set out in COBS 4.12.7 R, including an individual who is legally empowered (solely or jointly with others) to make investment decisions on behalf of another person who is the firm'sclient6.
9. Self-certified sophisticated investors
An individual6 who meets the requirements set out in COBS 4.12.8 R, including an individual who is legally empowered (solely or jointly with others) to make investment decisions on behalf of another person who is the firm'sclient6.
Any non-mainstream pooled investment the firm considers is likely to be suitable for that client, based on a preliminary assessment of the client's profile and objectives.
[See COBS 4.12.5G (2)]
10. Solicited advice
Any person.
Any non-mainstream pooled investment, provided the communication meets all of the following requirements:
(a) the communication only amounts to a financial promotion because it is a personal recommendation on a non-mainstream pooled investment;
(b) the personal recommendation is made following a specific request by that client for advice on the merits of investing in the non-mainstream pooled investment; and
(c) the client has not previously received a financial promotion or any other communication from the firm (or from a person connected to the firm) which is intended to influence the client in relation to that non-mainstream pooled investment. [See Note 3.]
11. Excluded communications
Any person.
Any non-mainstream pooled investment, provided the financial promotion is an excluded communication.
[See COBS 4.12.12 G and COBS 4.12.13 G.]
12. Non-recognised UCITS
Any person.
Any EEA UCITS scheme which is not a recognised scheme, provided the following requirements are met:
(1) the firm considers it is likely to be suitable for that client based on a preliminary assessment of the client's profile and objectives; and
(2) the firm provides that client with the same product information as it would be required to provide by COBS 14.2 if the scheme was a recognised scheme.
[See COBS 4.12.5G (2).]
13. US persons
A person who is classified as a United States person for tax purposes under United States legislation or who owns a US qualified retirement plan.
Any investment company registered and operated in the United States under the Investment Company Act 1940.
The following Notes explain certain words and phrases used in the table above.
Note 1
Promotion of non-mainstream pooled investments to a category of person includes any nominee company acting for such a person.
Note 2
A company is 'connected' with another company if:
- they are both in the same group; or
- one company is entitled, either alone or with another company in the same group, to exercise or control the exercise of a majority of the voting rights attributable to the share capital, which are exercisable in all circumstances at any general meeting of the other company or of its holding company.
Note 3
A person is connected with a firm if it acts as an introducer or appointed representative for that firm or if it is any other person, regardless of authorisation status, who has a relevant business relationship with the firm.
Note 4
In deciding whether a promotion is permitted under the rules of this section or under section 238 of the Act, firms may use the client categorisation regime that applies to business other than MiFID or equivalent third country business. (This is the case even if the firm will be carrying on a MiFID activity at the same time as or following the promotion.)
1The COBS provisions in the table apply to a UCITS qualifier and a service company:
COBS |
Description |
4 |
Communications to clients, but only in relation to communicating or approving a financial promotion |
5.2 |
E-Commerce |
12.4 |
Investment Research recommendations: required disclosures |